Five Ravens stats that stand out: Week 4

Each Wednesday, blogger Matt Vensel highlights five stats that really mean something for the Ravens.

31 -- total quarterback pressures for Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil this season.

So far this season, Suggs and Dumervil have been wreaking havoc on opposing quarterbacks, with Suggs usually coming from the left and Dumervil coming from the right. They have combined for five sacks and 31 total pressures, according to Pro Football focus, which includes sacks, hits and quarterback hurries. Suggs ranks second in the NFL among 3-4 outside linebackers with 17 pressures and Dumervil is tied for sixth with 14. Only one duo of 3-4 outside linebackers has generated more pressure than those two through three weeks: Tamba Hali and Justin Houston of the Kansas City Chiefs, who have 33 combined.

8.67 -- Joe Flacco’s yard per attempt to Torrey Smith.

After the injuries to Dennis Pitta and Jacoby Jones, Flacco has peppered his No. 1 wide receiver, targeting Smith on 26.1 percent of his throws. Smith has 16 catches for 269 receiving yards, putting him on pace for 1,435 this season, which would be nearly double his previous career high. But it’s hard to blame Flacco for locking onto Smith, whom he has targeted 31 times. The quarterback is averaging 8.67 yards per attempt to the speedster. He is averaging just 5.40 yards per attempt to everyone else.

2.96 -- Baltimore’s adjusted line yard average in 2013.

Running back Bernard Pierce made his first NFL start against the Texans, but he gained just 65 yards on 24 carries. Erase that 25-yard run he had in the fourth quarter, and the second-year back averaged 1.74 yards per carry. It continued a troubling trend for the Ravens offense, which hasn’t been able to get Pierce or Pro Bowl running back Ray Rice, when healthy, going. The Ravens are averaging just 2.6 yards per carry, which ranks 31st in the NFL. There is plenty of blame to go around, but this stat from Football Outsiders suggests the offensive line deserves a decent-sized chunk of it. Only four teams have a lower adjusted line yard average.

two -- runs of 10-plus yards against the Ravens in 2013.

The lack of running lanes has been a two-way street, with the Ravens defense blocking the road for opposing ballcarriers, too. The Ravens are allowing just 3.4 yards per carry, which ranks seventh in the NFL. They have only given up two runs of 10 or more yards in three games, tops in the league. And they are one of three teams -- the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the others -- that have yet to allow a rushing touchdown. It looks like it’s back to the status quo in Baltimore.

17 -- offensive snaps for Tandon Doss against the Texans.

Doss, who scored on an 82-yard punt return in Sunday’s win, has yet to make a catch in two games this season, but it appears his role could be expanding. Doss, who was re-signed after Jacoby Jones hurt his knee in Week 1, played 12 snaps against the Cleveland Browns in Week 2. Against the Texans, he played 17, the same number as Brandon Stokley, who was signed during training camp to be the team’s third wide receiver. In two games, Doss has not been targeted in his 17 routes run, per Pro Football Focus. But he keeps getting opportunities. We'll see if that continues.

Bloggers note: Have a nifty stat you want to share? E-mail me at matt.vensel@baltsun.com or tweet at me at @mattvensel. If I use it, I’ll be sure to give you a nice plug on the blog.